The Case of the Belligerent Ghost (1954) User Reviews (4)

As funny as a heart attack... in a good way

[hte-trasme · 8/10 · 22 October 2009]

The 1950s Sheldon Reynolds-produced Sherlock Holmes series starring Ronald Howard certainly took the familiar characters of Holmes and Dr Watson and placed them in some very creative and fun situations. Usually this dedication to making enjoyable little films for television rather than exact replicas of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories would pay off.

This episode deals with the crime that is uncovered when Watson sees a man die of a heart attack on the street, then keeps running into and getting assaulted by his ghost, and it's delightful from start to finish. While the mystery or puzzle is there as much as always (though some elements of it might be a bit for show, as they are rather easy to guess), the episode is really carried by how consistently witty the script is. It's really Sherlock Holems played for dry humor, and Howard and H. Marion Crawford really have a knack for transposing the immortal characters to that ind of story. Whole long sections of the episode are devoted merely to Holmes and Watson talking in Baker Street, but it advances the plot and is plain funny the whole way through.

The best moments perhaps are the punchline at the conclusion (which I will allow to remain a surprise) and a great recurring gag about Watson's reaction when people misinterpret his black eye. This a pure enjoyable, grin-inducing episode that shows off the good, creative writing on the show and the presence of the actors who pull it off. One of the better entries in the series I've seen.

Heart attack or murder? It's Sherlock Holmes. What do you think?

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 6 February 2021]

This is a good episode for H. Marian Crawford to shine as Dr. Watson, aiding a man in the street who has a heart attack, only for the man to die in the street and come back to haunt Watson apparently as a ghost. Lots of the episode focuses on Crawford being befuddled by the entire incident and Holmes becoming involved in the investigation of whether it was indeed a heart attack or murder or possibly something else. The fact that Watson gets punched by a ghost is silly in itself, but this is Sherlock Holmes where nothing is ever as quite as it seems. A decent supposedly original story only using the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as puppets, aided by a great atmosphere and an interesting plot twist related to the crime involving classic art work.

A bit silly...which is odd for a Sherlock Holmes program.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 18 January 2019]

I am a purist about Sherlock Holmes. I've read all the stories and have come to realize that most films portraying his stories really miss the mark. Often, Holmes and Watson are more caricatures of the fictional characters and the stories seem little like the brilliant Conan Doyle stories. This is DEFINITELY the case with "The Case of the Belligerent Ghost". Back in the mid-1950s, there was a Holmes television show and most of the episodes seem little like the original stories...especially this one.

When the story begins, Watson tells Holmes a seemingly ridiculous story. He apparently found a man dying of a heart attack and took him to his apartment where he expired. However, inexplicably, a bit later this dead man attacked him on the street and punched him in the eye. He did have a black eye...but surely a ghost didn't do it. What will Holmes discover?

The overall mood of this one is comedic...something the original stories never were. But to make it worse, the story is a bit ridiculous and silly. Not my cup of tea...perhaps a non-Holmes addict wouldn't mind.

The Case of the Belligerent Ghost

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 9 June 2021]

Dr Watson arrives with a black eye and recounts a fantastical tale to Sherlock Holmes.

Watson got a black eye from a ghost. Earlier in the evening, just after 8 pm, Watson found a man dying of a heart attack. He took him to his flat where he died.

It was the same dead man who would punch him later.

Holmes investigates and finds out that the dead man was someone called Higgins. A man known to Inspector Lestrade as an art forger.

It is linked to a theft of a Da Vinci painting from a museum where Higgins worked and Holmes needs to find the culprit.

This is another comedic episode. The series seems more like a pastiche. No one believes Watson when he claims he was hit by a door which resulted in the black eye.

It is Watson to the rescue when the baddie holds both he and Holmes at gunpoint. Seemed like a risky manoeuvre to me.